Marbleous Creations!

Activity Overview

Is there anything more satisfying than being able to express yourself freely? Valuing and creating space for our children’s creativity nurtures their emotional health and invites joy into their worlds. In this activity, students will use their creativity and a marble to explore artistry in motion, creating their own form of self-expression. Play with colors, move the marble from left to right, up and down, and in a circle to see what you can create!

What You Need

• Marble

• Colorful paints (blue, red, green, yellow, purple, orange)

• Paint brushes or small plastic spoons

• Bowls

• Shoe box lid or piece of cardboard with edges folded up

• Sheets of paper (heavier works best with the paint)

Steps

1. Place a sheet of paper in the shoe box lid. With the student, preface the idea of motion and inclined planes through the guided questions.

2. Place paint in individual bowls. Pair each bowl with a paint brush or small spoon. With this utensil, drop paint onto the paper in the shoe box lid. Once all of the colors have been placed on the paper to the student’s liking, place the marble in the corner of the shoe box lid.

3. Tilt the lid to move the marble through the paint colors and across the paper. Encourage student creativity and self-expression. Introduce new ways to tilt the box (circular, left to right, up and down, slow, quickly).

4. Reflect on the process with guided questions.

Guiding Questions

• What do you think will happen if we tilt the marble in our shoe box lid from left to right? What way will the marble move? Will it stay still?

• What happens if you tilt the lid from left to right? Where will the marble move?

• What happens if you tilt the lid all around? Will the marble move in a circle?

• What did you create?

• Why did you choose those colors to use in your painting?

• How do you feel after creating your painting?

Extensions

• Would the activity work with two marbles? More?

• Try the activity again, this time substituting rocks or ping pong balls for the marble.